1989 San Marino Grand Prix
23 April |number = 470 |officialname = IX Gran Premio Kronenbourg di San Marino |circuit = Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Autodromo Dino Ferrari |location = Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |circuittype = Permanent Racing Facility |lapdistance = 5.040 |laps = 58 |distance = 292.320 |pole = Ayrton Senna |polenation = BRA-1968 |poleteam = |poletime = 1:26.010 |fastestlap = 1:26.795 |fastestlapdriver = Alain Prost |fastestlapnation = FRA |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 45 |winner = Ayrton Senna |winnernation = BRA-1968 |winnerteam = |second = Alain Prost |secondnation = FRA |secondteam = |third = Alessandro Nannini |thirdnation = ITA |thirdteam = |scheduledlaps = 61 }} The IX Gran Premio Kronenbourg di San Marino, otherwise known as the 1989 San Marino Grand Prix, was the second round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the recently renamed Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy, on the 23 April 1989.'San Marino GP, 1989', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr470.html, (Accessed 08/04/2019) The race would see Ayrton Senna claim a dominant victory for himself and , as a huge accident for Gerhard Berger marred the afternoon. Qualifying had seen Senna secure his familiar place in pole position, a quarter of a second clear of teammate Prost at the head of the field. 1.6 seconds followed before Nigel Mansell appeared in third for , with Riccardo Patrese claiming fourth in the . Hopes of a repeat of a McLaren defeat akin to the Brazilian Grand Prix were dashed at the start, with Senna sprinting away from Prost at the start. Those two duly powered through Tamburello running one-two, leaving Mansell to fight with Patrese and Berger for third during the opening tour. The McLarens subsequently disappeared up the road from the rest of the pack during the early stages, only for the race to be halted on lap four. The cause would be Berger, whose Ferrari simply failed to turn while charging through Tamburello, and duly slammed into the barriers. The Ferrari shattered against the wall, clattering down the track 100 metres before bursting into flame. The race was immediately stopped as marshals descended upon the scene, and it was their swift work that ensured that the fire was put out within 20 seconds. Berger was extracted from his car a few minutes later, having sustained a broken rib and various burns. Once the wreckage was cleared away the race resumed, with the field set to restart on the grid and the final order set on aggregate. This time it was Prost who made the marginally better getaway, only for Senna to aggressively seize back the lead on the brakes for Tosa. Prost furiously protested the move, declaring it breach of their gentleman's agreement not to battle on the opening lap at Tosa. That would, however, prove to be the only major incident in the second "half" of the race, with Senna easing clear of Prost, as both pulled clear of the pack. Mansell proved their biggest threat until his race was ended by a gearbox failure, while Patrese disappeared with an engine issue. Yet, that was no concern of Senna, who powered across the line 40 seconds clear of Prost to claim his first win of the campaign. Alessandro Nannini ultimately finished in third ahead of Thierry Boutsen, while Derek Warwick and Jonathan Palmer claimed the remaining points. Background Nigel Mansell would unsurprisingly start the season at the head of the Championship hunt, having won the season opening race in Brazil. Alain Prost, meanwhile, had opened his season in second ahead of Maurício Gugelmin, while debut points for Johnny Herbert had left the former British Formula 3 Champion in fourth. Derek Warwick and Alessandro Nannini were the only other point scorers at the opening round, while Ayrton Senna opened his title defence with a pointless eleventh place. started the season at the head of the field, courtesy of Mansell's opening day victory. hence had to start their title defence from second, while and were level in third, with the latter ahead courtesy of Gugelmin's podium finish. were the only other scorers in fifth. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Pre-Qualifying Pre-Qualifying Results The full pre-qualifying results for the are outlined below: Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid ** Alliot and Dalmas were unable to start the race due to an electrical issue. Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Larini was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. *† Nakajima was unable to be classified as he failed to complete 90% of the race distance. *‡ Grouillard was disqualified from the results of the race for repairs carried out ahead of the restart. Milestones * made their 50th Grand Prix appearance.'2. San Marino 1989', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1989/saint-marin.aspx, (Accessed 16/04/2019) * 50th entry for Alessandro Nannini.'1989 San Marino GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1989&gp=San%20Marino%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 16/04/2019) * Fifteenth career victory for Ayrton Senna. * 71st win for as a constructor. ** claimed their 43rd win as an engine supplier. Standings Alain Prost moved to the top of the Championship with a second second place in two races, as race winning teammate Ayrton Senna leapt up to second. Indeed, the Brazilian had moved level with Brazil race winner Nigel Mansell, while Alessandro Nannini climbed up to fourth. Maurício Gugelmin completed the top five, level with Derek Warwick, with nine drivers on the board. returned to their rather familiar spot at the top of the Constructors' Championship in San Marino, leaving Imola with 21 points to their name. had made way for them, slipping to second, a point ahead of in third. and were next to complete the top five, while and had claimed their first points of the campaign. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1989 Grands Prix Category:San Marino Grand Prix